BRUTAL OVERDRIVE
by JohnnyJinx13
Summary: What happens when an avid Brutal Legend player unlocks a hidden difficulty that sends him into the game itself?.. Read and find out! PM me, Review, whatever. Tell me what you think! Verse Four: Brutal Ride is in progress. :D
1. Chapter 0

**Ok, so, this is my newest fan-fic and, like my profile said, this is a Brutal Legend story. And, before anything else, I disclaim any acclaim of the game and anything associated with it, except whatever shit is mine, which you should be able to tell. . . Maybe. Anyway, this is what happens when you try to write your ACTUAL story, but you become so flustered that you decide to do something else, i.e., write a fan-fiction. And yes, all chapters will be called 'Verses', and all of them start with 'Brutal'. . . Yeah, it's a lame joke, but it's my joke and I claim a disclaimer. . . Is that how it works? . . Anyway, here's 'BRUTAL OVERDRIVE'**

**Verse 0: Brutal Entry_(PILOT)_/~/~/~/~/~/**

"Decapitatioooooooooon!"

Ahhh, music to my ears. It had taken me about a month and a half to beat 'Brutal Legend' on the Brutal difficulty, but I did it! I watched the scene where Riggs takes Doviculous's head off with a clean-sweep of his Quill-Covered Axe (Thank you, Overkill chain quest, for this ungodly weapon). The ending scene passes, the credits, too, and I'm left with an empty can of Mtn. Dew and a sense of accomplishment. Time for a pee-break, which was much needed, since I've been holding it since the beginning of the army battle versus the BDSM Dragon Heads and- Huh?

I had returned to the main menu only to see a message appear on the screen:

"_YOU HAVE UNLOCKED 'BRUTAL OVERDRIVE' DIFFICULTY."_

That's weird; I hadn't seen this on the GameFaqs forums or cheat page. Maybe it was just THAT hidden? Though, considering how long this game has been out, somebody would've discovered this difficulty, wouldn't they?... Nah, I'm just over-thinking it, I'm sure.

I emptied my bladder – in the bathroom, of course – and I decided to try out this new difficulty. I clicked on it and then… The power went out.

"Shit," I muttered, "Chels must've plugged in one too many damn electrical appliances!" My sister had done this many times, so I assumed it was her. But, now that I think about it, she was out of town with her boyfriend. Mom and Dad were at work, so it was only me at home. It was sunny outside; I could hear the summer bugs and birds. So, what the hell was going on then? I wish I hadn't asked that question, mentally at least.

My TV turned back on – a blaring sound of static and then roars – and a long, shadowy arm flew out and whizzed by my head. The hand came back around and grabbed my right arm; I felt my body being pulled to the TV. Whatever the hell was going on, I had to get away from my possessed TV! So, I reached out and grabbed my Irish Green Squire guitar with my free hand and swung it at the black-handed bastard!

Playing video games for a prolonged period can have… Negative effects on the body, such as poor balance and bad depth perception. And so, if you couldn't tell from the fact that I brought it up in such a straight-forward fashion, I missed with my mighty swing, tripped over my own two feet, and the shadow hand pulled me into the Killer TV. Before passing out from such psychological trauma, something appeared in my mind, like a message of some sort, or something like that:

'_Donner, Blitz, Regen, Asche, Erde, Sturm, Engel, Abgrund… The Eight Fangs…'_


	2. Chapter 1

**The truth is, I'm writing this chapter as I'm playing the game, that way, everything is still fresh in my mind and I don't lose track so easily. This chapter basically starts after the part where Eddy is sent to Ancient Metal World. I'd also like to thank everyone who is reading this series, ESPECIALLY the one who reviewed my pilot chapter, DragonOTDarkFlame! Thanks for cheering me on, and you're right, Brutal Legend deserves more praise; it is an awesome game, it's even in my top ten!**

**Verse 1: Brutal Meeting_/~/~/~/~/~/**

My head was killing me, my body felt all tingly and sleepy, and the air smelt of… Blood? Oh, that can't be good. I began to come around from, well, whatever the hell had happened. What did happen anyway? Last I remember, I was playing Brutal Legend, and I got this new difficulty thing… Then the power went out… AH! Right, the shadow-hand-thingy that yanked me into the TV, what a crazy dream that was.

"… But, I totally _know_ the Master."

"Speak not of the Master!"

Oh, did I start a new game? I recognize this dialogue from the beginning of the game. I must've dozed off while playing, or something. I open my eyes to see… Something I didn't expect to see: the statue of Ormagoden that was in the opening cinematic! I roll over to my side to see this weird, bloody circle and some big guy running around these cloaked guys. I know this looked familiar, but where had I seen it?

The big guy ran to the center of the circle and grabbed… An axe? Wait, was that-?

The big guy yelled out, "YEH-HEH-HE!"

As the axe was pulled out of the ground, lightning shot out in all directions, one heading to where I was at! The lightning bolt struck the Ormagoden structure and shot down to the ground next to me, launching me through the air and into the circle.

_Clang_.

I turn to see my guitar, Gi-tah, sliding across the ground, surprisingly in one piece still! I quickly grab it and pull it next to me as I prop myself up. Gathering some strength, I slowly get to my feet, just in time to see one of those cloaked guys poised to strike me with his sword! I instinctively pulled my guitar in front of me to block; of course, I realize that a wooden neck wouldn't stand up against sharpened steel…

I felt the blade strike my guitar, but… It stopped. I heard a high-pitched note cry out and then the cloaked guy was sent flying through the air. I lower Gi-tah to see what happened and, to my surprise, there wasn't a single scratch on it!

_What kind of material __**is**__ this? I mean, I'm not complaining, but seriously! What the hell!_

I strap my guitar onto my back and turn to see the big guy from before swinging that axe and chopping people up. Blood was spilling everywhere and I don't do well with blood. I looked away and started looking for an escape route, but, the walls were too high and I'm afraid of heights as well… Man, I suck hardcore…

Wait, if I remember right, if this _is _the same as in the game. All I need to do is use Earthshaker, and down comes the walls. Of course, can I even _use_ Earthshaker? I am here, in the game, after all, right? So, I should be able to use Earthshaker, right?

I pull Gi-tah out in front of me, only to realize that I didn't even have my pick! Dammit, why of all times do I have to lose that pick! Why is it that I lose it in a life-or-death situation! Maybe I could use some kind of makeshift pick or- oh, of course. I start digging through my pants (**A/N: Giggity giggity**) to find my key chain. Sure enough, there it was.

This one time, I lost all of my picks – I can be severely forgetful sometimes – and my sister decided to make me a make-shift pick from some hard material. She told me to always keep it on my keychain so, no matter how forgetful I am, I can still bust out some rock'n'roll! Thank God I listened to her, for once. It just saved my sorry ass!

I set my guitar close up to me to minimize the recoil of the Earthshaker – I figured it would go out of control, so I braced myself for it – and held the pick up high for a big strum. I yelled, "COVER YOUR EARS AND HOLD ONTO YER' ASS!" I strummed Gi-tah full force, only to be confronted by a lame 'brngg' sound, "I'm sorry… That's uh… That's never happened to me before. I feel so embarrassed." I guess I fail even when I'm in my best game element… That really does suck.

"Oh, so, that's how it's done?"

I turn to see the big guy from before, really rugged looking with a sort of mullet – but he could pull it off like nobody's business – and he looked… **really** familiar. Wait, isn't that-

"Name's Eddy, Eddy Riggs," the rugged man said.

HOLY SHIT IT IS HIM! Wait, of course it is, this _is_ inside the game, so it makes sense. Wait, why am I being so calm about this? Somehow, I was dragged _inside_ my video game; usually, that's really awesome – especially if it was Dead or Alive Extreme Volleyball or maybe a Final Fantasy game – but this is still kind of out there.

Right now, only Eddy could use the Earthshaker, so only he can get us out of here, "Yeah, it's called an Earthshaker, and you have to use it to knock down all this rubble around here, and quick!"

Eddy looked around and then nodded, "Ok, I'll take care of the walls," he paused, "and you take care of the ugly demon minions."

"Say what!" I shook my head in desperate objection, "No way, I can't fight at all, seriously, I get nauseous at the sight of blood, and I get beat up by my older sister since I was, like, ten. I'm extremely violence opposed, except when on a video game, so I really, **really** can't do this!"

Eddy turned around and punched some random cloaked guy and stole his sword, "Heads up!" He tosses the sword to me and I just barely grasp it on the hilt, "If you can't kill them, at least give me enough time to knock these lousy walls down."

"F-fine!" I yelled, "I'll do what I can." I reluctantly took the sword in hand and flourished it a bit. Thankfully, even though I'm against fighting, playing AmtGard with my friends helped me develop _some_ sword skills, even though out of the twenty of us, I was one of the worst… Still, these were AI, way dumber than… _most_ of my friends, so I had a pretty decent chance against them. All I needed to do was wait until they pulled their swords up in the air and then I strike them with the flat side of my blade. No blood, no foul, right?

One of the ugly cloaked guys came up and started strafing around me; just got to wade it out until they raise their sword up and-

_Clang_.

What the! I just barely had enough time to guard myself against a horizontal slice. They never swung their swords like this when I played… I guess these AI are a bit better than average. I decided to break the guard and roll out of the way. As I rolled across the ground, the ground suddenly started to shake violently! I look to see Eddy strumming hard on his guitar and bringing down the temple, literally; the whole place started to collapse around us. Some of the debris even crushed the other creeps who were hanging around!

_That makes things a bit easier for me, doesn't it?_

The other guys got scared I guess, they hearthed their sorry asses out of there, so it was just me and Eddy left in the temple.

_Whirrr-Clank, whirr-clank_.

Or, so I thought. I completely forgot about-

"Ok, I'm supposed to believe that you're some type of nun, but you're really some kind of big ugly demon, so let's have it!" Oh yes, the Battle Nun, "Kinda' sexy though, in a weird way, hm."

"Not really." I retorted.

"Why do ya' say that?" Eddy asked. The Battle Nun did that weird bloody roar thing, "Ohh, now I see."

"Yeah, less admiring the sexy legs and more tank'n'spank!"

I tried distracting the Battle Nun while Eddy chopped it up; seemed fair, I mean, it's not _my_ ass that has to save this world, it's his. Anyway, after taking care of the Battle Nun, we hijacked her little Creeper Bot – that's just what I call it, I don't know the actual term for it- and we started our descent down the… Bone Pile… That's sanitary…

(**A/N: I'm not gonna put the rant he does while descending the temple mountain, cause there's a WHOLE bunch of it. If you want to, try and look it up on YouTube or something, Jesus…**)

We finally made it to the bottom of the Bone Pile, when Eddy screwed up on the last stanza or something and the damn robot bucked us off and into a spell circle, which then turned into some kind of barrier, from which there was no escape… Oh wait, yes there is, "Earthshaker."

"What?"

"Use Earthshaker, that'll knock them back, interrupting the spell and cause those engine blocks," I turned and pointed to the random engine blocks that hung above those demons' nasty little heads, "to drop on them. Ya' get it?"

"Wow, bossy?"

"I'm sorry, let's just sit around in this weird magic circle until they suck out our life-force and eat our bones for dinner." I said sarcastically.

"… You think they'd do that?" Eddy asked, seriously.

I gave him the most ridiculous look I could muster given the circumstances, "Yes, I think they would, which is why you need to do Earthshaker, now!" Of course, I never waited to see what would happen in the game, but since this world doesn't play by the same rules, there's no telling what would happen, and I'd rather not take that chance.

Reluctantly enough, he pulled out Clementine and used Earthshaker, sending the minions back and dropping a few tons of awesome metal upon their nasty skulls. Wow, even though I'm mostly a pacifist, I'm getting used to the destruction that comes from this game pretty quick, aren't I? Anywho, wasn't this the part where we meet-

I heard a grunt come from behind me, one of those cloaked guys had somehow survived the attack! I pulled out Gi-tah and blocked the attack just in the nick of time. Gi-tah screamed again, but only this time, knocking the hood off of the assailant. Wait, wasn't that, "Ophelia!"

The girl jumped back and flourished her blades, "How do you know my name, and how did you block me with that… Stick?"

"Oh man," Eddy said, "Don't tell me we've been slaying hot girls this whole time." HA! Favorite line from the whole game, right there! This line made me start the game over, again and again, just to hear that line.

"Yeah, don't worry about them," Ophelia grinned, "They ain't nothing to look at."

"Ahem, anyway, we need to get out of here, and we're gonna' need your help, Ophelia." I said.

She looked at me strange, "Um, you still haven't answered as to how you know my name."

I panicked a bit, I know things I shouldn't know about this world, and if I told them the real reason, they wouldn't believe it. Just like in all those fan-fictions I read on FanFiction. I decided that, for the moment, I needed to lie about it, in the most inconspicuous manner I could, "Ah, that… You had a nametag on your robe, but then it just… disappeared and," Eddy and Ophelia looked at each other and then at me, giving me their 'I'm-not-gonna-buy-it look, "Look, do we _really_ have time to do Twenty Questions? We should be looking for a way outta' here, is all I'm saying!"

"You're right, reinforcements will be here soon, as well as _him_." Ophelia stated.

"Right, _him_… Whos' _him_?" Eddy pondered.

Ophelia shot Eddy a incredulous look, "Emperor Doviculous! Leader of the Demons! What kind of back-water village did you come from?"

"Uh, I guess you could say I'm not from around here." Eddy answered sheepishly.

"Yeah," I added, "Me, too. I'm not used to… Whatever all this is." Of course, that was a lie, I know everything that has happened, is happening, and _will_ happen, but I can't let anyone on to me about this… Otherwise it might change the storyline and- wait, why do _I_ care! Anyway, it seems like it's something I shouldn't interfere with, so I'll leave it at that.

I followed Ophelia and Eddy as they tore a path through these guys like nobody's business, yet again. Me? I was hanging out in the back and providing… Emotional support. We finally reached the area where Eddy obtains his ride when… I got this strange feeling that there was _something_ I needed to grab around here. That's odd… Even when I'm trapped in a video game, that's odd. As Ophelia and Eddy were checking on the army outside, I decided to check on this _strange_ feeling. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?.. Actually, never mind, I'd rather not think about it.

I got to that central spire where Eddy learns the Relic Raiser and… I _noticed_ something, I guess you could call it; it was more like I felt it there, as though it was calling out to me. I brushed away some of the Devil Thorns that were near the Tab Slab and I saw a switch in the form of a star – eight points around, like the Cardinal Rose and compass – and I nonchalantly pressed it. I heard some rumbling come from the side of the tower, so did Ophelia and Eddy, because they came over to me asking what was going on.

I looked at Eddy and said, "Listen, I don't have much time to explain. You need to look at this thing," I pointed to the Tab Slab, "Learn the music and play it, and do whatever you need to. I'll be looking into something over here, okay? Ophelia, you keep watch and make sure none of those freaks get in here until Eddy and I finish up, okay?" I didn't feel like giving orders, but I didn't know what would happen otherwise.

They reluctantly agreed to my plan and I decided to check out the source of whatever that trigger, well, triggered. I came to the side of the central tower to see that a portion of the wall had slid away, revealing a hidden entrance, "Oh, like this _isn't_ some secret treasure trove? Haha, whatever. Instinct brought me here, so it must be something important." For some reason, I had no problem walking into that decrepit vault, despite the fact that I _knew_ I was in a video game.

I walked for about… Three seconds and I came to an open room. Light poured in from a hole in the center of the tower, illuminating a… C-coffin! Oh boy, this was a tomb, I'm going to be cursed, and I'm stuck in a video game and-

"_HEY! YOU!"_

-I'll never be able to tell that one girl that she was cute, and-

_"HEY! DUMBASS! LISTEN TO ME!"_

-And I… Wait, what was that?

_"Blitz, keep your voice down. Obviously, he is just an innocent peasant. Definitely dresses to look the part."_

Excuse me! Ok, I may be a guy, but don't hate on my fashion… Wow, _that_ sounded manly… I fail so hard…

_"Yeah right, like __**I'm**__ gonna' give up, just cause he's a dumbass? I wanna' get the hell out of here and find Big Sis! So shut the hell up, Donner."_

"H-hey, who's there!" I squeaked, "L-listen, I got a guitar and I… Somewhat know how to use it!"

_"Heh, what do you know, Dumbass can hear us! Is he really our Master?"_

_ "Who knows? I say let him be, filthy little peasant."_

"JUST CAUSE I'M CONFUSED DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HAVE FEELINGS, YA STUPID DISEMBODIED VOICE!" I yelled. It got quiet for a while, so I figured I had won the fight and the war.

_"HAHAHA! Sure showed you, huh, Donner?"_

_ "Hmph, whatever. Peasant," _the snotty voice said, _"Open this sarcophagus, and claim us."_

"Excuse me?"

_"Dumbass," _the angry voice retorted, _"Open this damn coffin and get us out of here, already!"_

I reluctantly went over to the coffin, "Y-you mean _this_ coffin?"

_"…"_

_ "…"_

"… I'm not hearing a 'yes', so-"

_"JUST OPEN IT ALREADY!"_

"Fine!" I grabbed the top of the coffin and, almost effortlessly, slung it away; the coffin issued forth a giant gust of dust and dirt, clouding my vision. After a few coughing fits and stinging eyes, the dust settled and I could finally see inside the coffin. Well, it wasn't what I was expecting: two swords, one silver like the moon, the blade on it was curvy all the way to the tip, and the other was a deep – yet radiant – purple, long and jagged. (**A/N: I'm sorry I can't describe them any better, it's just that these were last minute designs, hehe.**)

"Um… Where are you… Voices?" I asked.

_"What are you, blind! We're right here in front of you."_ The angry voice yelled out.

"What? You mean these swords are… You?"

_"Correct, Peasant, we are Donner and Blitz, two of-"_

_ "Hey! Why does your name get to be first?"_

_ "Because, I'm the older one."_

_ "Say what! You were forged, what, a few seconds before me! We're practically twins!"_

_ "Be that as it may, I'm still chronologically – and emotionally – mature, unlike yourself."_

_ "EH! Say that again, you fossil!"_

_ "FOSSIL! YOU'RE ONLY THREE SECONDS YOUN-"_

"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!" I yanked the swords out and clubbed them together at the base of the hilt.

_"OW!"_ The swords cried out in unity.

"Listen, you better shut up, because if you don't I'm gonna' leave you two here to rot; or better yet, I'll leave you here for the demons!" The blades were silent; Mom always said I was good at resolving conflicts. I decided to simply carry them outside, since I didn't have any kind of sheath to put them in. By the time I got back outside, Eddy had pretty much finished the Druid Plow, thank God. Now, comes the fun part: Racing these guys out of here and into the Feeding Area.

"Is that thing getting us out of here?" Ophelia asked, growing impatient as the Demon mob began to assimilate at the gate.

"Oh hell, yeah." I answered, "Oh, and check out what I found!" I held up the swords I found, Blitz and Donner, "So, yeah, I found them in a coffin… Cause that's where you find most swords, isn't it?" Yeah, I'm being a smartass, but it's my ass on the line, so I have a right to.

"Um, one problem with the Druid Plow," Eddy chimed in, "It's only a two seater."

Dammit, that's right, Eddy's car is a two-seater hot-rod. Meaning… Sorry, Ophelia, this is one change that has to be made to the story.

_"Maybe not, Peasant."_

"Donner?" I asked out loud.

"Donner?" Ophelia asked.

"This sword," I held up the purple one, the one I thought was Donner.

_"THAT'S ME, YOU DUMBASS!"_

"Um," I put down Blitz and held up the silver sword, "I'm sorry, it's this sword, and the purple one is-"

"Blitz." Ophelia said quietly.

"Uh, yeah, right, you know each other I gue-"

_"Never seen her before in my life, dumbass."_

"AHEM! Anyway," I continued, "Donner was saying something about the Druid Plow _not_ being a two seater, I guess?"

_"Yes, as I was saying," _Donner paused, _"Oh, and by the way, they don't hear us talk; only you can. Just wanted to throw that out there. Anyway, I could possibly bind myself to the Druid Plow, creating a place where you can sit."_

"Ok," I answered, "Tell me what I need to do."

_"… Plunge me into the Druid Plow's back area, right where the flames are."_ I did so, and then Donner began to glow and morph, forming a sort of inside area where I could sit, _"There, now you can sit here, and Blitz can handle defense."_

Defense, what did he mean by that?

_"Simple, dumbass," _Blitz sounded, _"I can blow shit up, plain and simple. Simply point and click."_

So they can read my mind? Wow, then wouldn't it be easier to think to them instead of talk to them?

_"Yes, Peasant, it would be."_

_ "Yeah, much so."_

There I go again, opening my big mind; anyway, thanks for the assist, guys.

I hop onto the back of the Druid Plow and look at Eddy and Ophelia, "Ok, ready to go now!" They looked dumbstruck, and I couldn't blame them, I was still in shock of finding myself in a video game. Anyway, time to head out!

Eddy shot out of the gate like a bat out of hell while the radio screamed the 'Ace of Spades'. FAAAAAVORITE PART! As we flew by and – sometimes – ran over the minions, I decided to try Blitz out, "Point and click, huh?" I finally found the trigger on Blitz; as it turns out, the frame and placement of the handle and blade resemble a gunblade, so I figured it shoots something out, and boy was I right.

I pointed Blitz at a nearby Demon AT-AT and clicked the trigger. Sure enough, a giant lightning bolt shot out of the blade and hit the AT-AT in the kneecap, sending it tumbling over the edge of the bridge and into the ocean, "BULLSEYE!" Now I wonder, does Blitz have a heat gauge or something? Kind of like the bar on a Covenant Plasma Gun in Halo? Because then, I could tell when to let off the trigger.

_"Don't worry about stupid shit like that! Just keep shooting, Dumbass!"_

Fine! I keep firing on nearby minions and the occasional Demon AT-AT, looking down to see what was playing on the radio… Still 'Ace of Spades'? I'm not complaining, I'm just thinking… Wow, that's a long song…

We fly through the air into a circular arena: Feeding Area. Why this place? Why couldn't there have been a faster way than going through here? Anyway, Ophelia jumps out to climb the gate tower, and Eddy kills some random minions. I actually shot one of them with Blitz, which was cool because the creep flew back a couple yards. As we waited for Ophelia to get back, I remembered that this is where- Ooooh, I feel something nasty breathing down my neck… Wait…

I turn, much to my horror to see the giant… Ok, I'm not going to sugar-coat it, that **thing** looks like a giant vagina worm! Yeah, I said it, and it's true, a giant fanged vagina worm… Which is trying to eat us… Perfect. Eddy and I jump back into the car and begin driving around the circle, trying to escape its Tongues of Terror. As Eddy power-turned, I pulled Blitz out and aimed carefully for the tongue closest to me; I was getting un-naturally good at using Blitz. As I pulled the trigger, the bolt made its bee-line toward the tongue, but it bounced off like a… Bouncy ball or something.

_"Hm… It seems as though Blitz's piercing attacks are having no effect… It makes sense, seeing as how the tongue is a very strong muscle… This requires a more 'up-front' approach… Blitz, switch places with me, I will take care of this."_

_ "Like hell I will! I can cut this sucker down with a hand tied behind my back!"_

"Hey, this is no time to fight… I agree with Donner, he seems like he's got a plan." I didn't like taking sides, but out of the two of them, I trusted Donner more when it came to plans. As Eddy pulled over out of the Vagina Worms range, Donner took his original form and popped out of the back of the Druid Plow. I stabbed Blitz into the spot where Donner once was and watched him reform into a chair, "Ok, Donner, what's this plan of yours?"

_"Hmph, simple… We CUT its tongue."_

"Ah, ok… Wait, WHAT! Blitz couldn't even break skin on it… How are you gonna-"

_"Silence, peasant, I was just about to get to that… I have a trigger, just like Blitz. However, and this is important, my blade vibrates at an extremely high frequency, allowing me to cut through near anything in my path. As strong as this muscle is, it will be no match for my 'Vibrato'."_ He sounded so confident that I couldn't help but trust him.

"Okay, Eddy, this is what we're gonna do… Once that thing launches itself onto the ground, we power turn and drive up next to one of its tongues. Then, I'll use Donner to cut one of them off, ok?"

I see Eddy nod and speed toward where the Vagina Worm is; it had recovered and roared at them. As the Worm launched itself at them, Eddy turbo-boosted and power-turned, sending them on a straight path to the tongues. As we neared the first tongue, I stood up and held Donner's trigger; I felt the blade vibrate wildly, but held a firm grip. As I slashed at the tongue, it easily ran through its tough skin and lopped it off. We repeated this two more times, effectively subduing the creature. As we drove up next to the gate, we met up with Ophelia and watched as the creature groaned in pain.

"Heh heh! You'll never French kiss again!"

"What's French kissing?"

"Uhh… It's, uhhh…"

I slapped Eddy on the shoulder, "Do you want me to stick my foot in your mouth? Or do you wanna do it yourself?"

"The, um, gate is open."

"What? Oh, the gate."

As we hopped into the car, I forgot that this was when the beast came out and began rage-quitting, destroying the gate. We watched the rubble fall down on top of us as we raced out and drove onto the crumbling highway.

"The bridge is collapsing behind us!" Ophelia screamed.

Eddie calmly said, "Don't worry, we're way ahead of the—"

A piece of the bridge fell out beneath us as we bumped, nearly falling out of our seats. The road in front of us began fracturing at an alarming rate, "You were saying?"

"I-It's just a little speed bump."

As we raced across the highway, Ophelia pointed where NOT to drive and Eddy carefully maneuvered so that we don't drive off the bridge. All the way, Eddy remained…. Eerily calm. I mean, I know he's the hero, but even so, how could he remain so calm as to-

"Whoa, check out the cool eclipse!" Eddy commented, looking up into the sky.

Ophelia and I punched his arm, "Eyes on the road!"

We were reaching the end of the highway and I easily recognized the jump at the end and screamed 'Wooo' as we flew through the air. Well, I might be stuck in a game, but that doesn't mean that I can't enjoy myself, haha. As we slammed into the ground and braked, I could see the sparks flying between Eddy and Ophelia. As much as you can see it from the game, seeing it in person, whole different feeling.

"You like the ride?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to show it to Lars!"

As Eddy grimaced and turned back to the wheel, I patted him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up, mouthing the words 'She likes you, don't worry'. He slightly smiled, but I could see the doubt in his eyes. I wanted to tell him and Ophelia what would happen, but I knew that telling them would create SOME kind of flux in the time-space continuum, possibly destroying the world… Or it could be total bullshit… Either way, anyway.

_"Excuse me, peasant?"_

I turned away as Eddy drove off to Bladehenge, "What is it, Donner?"

_"Once we have some time alone, Blitz and I need to speak with you about something important… We may want to include the girl as well."_

"Girl?... You mean Ophelia? Why?"

_"She acted as though she knew us, even though we have been hidden for centuries… Somehow, she might hold information of vital importance."_

Now that I think about it… Donner and Blitz seemed familiar to me.. Like I heard their names before…. Anyway, I fell asleep in the car, just tired from all that's happened and hoping to God that I would wake up in my bed, completely fine and ready to start the day… But something told me that it wasn't going to happen.

**Ok, so this is the first REAL chapter of 'BRUTAL OVERDRIVE' and this will more than likely be the longest chapter… I really wanted to do all of this in one go, the first mission at least. But I'll probably break the next chapters up just to bring up some suspense and all that. Oh, another thing, I've decided that all the Fangs have special names for their abilities, named after musical terms in keeping with 'Music is Power'. Donner's is Vibrato and Blitz's is – at the moment – Staccato. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as I had writing it. I hope you comment, send me a message, whatever. Any questions, any comments, any suggestions as to whatever else you want to happen, just message me and I'll be glad to hear you out! Ok, thanks once again!**


	3. Chapter 2

**As you can see, since you are reading this right now, I am still continuing the Brutal Legend fan-fic, BRUTAL OVERDRIVE! Congrats to all of you who are reading this, you are interested in a truly magnificent game to have gotten to the second chapter. :D Anyway, as you may know from the title, it implies that we are heading to meet with the Headbanger unit in the Pit… HOWEVER, that is not the case… I got something more interesting in mind. This will be a little AU, however, it does fit within the story parameters… So it's not ret-con… It's **_**semi**_**-ret-con. First off, I have a few people I need to address; krystal ice princess, drakean, and ZomRomCom and many others, thank you for adding this to your alerts! Your interest makes me want to write this story. DragonOTDarkFlame, thanks for being a continuous support for this story, as well. Dr. Angryslacks… I don't like you… I kid! Thanks for pointing out that Author's Notes DO indeed interrupt the flow; I went back and read through the chapter and found myself shuddering when those notes came up. . Azori, the plot is just getting started, and there's a whole lot more to come! :D Anyway, I'm sure you're tired of me rambling on about appreciating you… Meh, not really. XD But seriously, it's time to get down to business, and as I said in the other chapters, I am LITERALLY writing this as I play the game. XD ENJOY!**

**Verse 2: Brutal Infiltration /~/~/~/~/~/**

As we rode onto Bladehenge, I scanned the area; yup, this beat Xbox and PS3 graphics by a WIDE margin. I could feel the mist and mugginess of the air as we whipped corners and turbo-boosted. I look up to see the giant stage light shining down upon Bladehenge, at least I hope to God that's where it was pointing. I noticed that we were passing by the wooden bridge when I saw a familiar purple glow – a Tab Slab. Not just any Tab Slab, the one that taught the 'Drop a Deuce' Solo, which means…

As we slid into a parking position, I saw a flash of blonde – Yondaime? I wish… Instead, it was-

"Ophelia," the blonde said, flabbergasted, "What demon have you allowed to follow you home this time?" She strafed around it for a brief moment as Ophelia got out of the Deuce, then lunged forward and poked a big ole hole in the tire. As Eddy walked around, the blonde turned to face him and, with no hesitation at all, said, "Oh, hello."

Ophelia walked a bit behind her and faced Eddy, "Don't mind Lita. She's Lars' little sister… She's a _little_ high-strung." A_ little_? She stabbed a car without a moment's hesitation… I'd say she's pretty high up on the Desperate Housewives' ladder. Regardless, Lita did look amazing, especially when she's right in front of you, hehe… Ahem, anyway, Eddy and I both greeted her with a warm smile… And she returned it with a cold glare under her long bangs… Wow, such a people person, huh?

"Lars!" Ophelia called out.

As we looked up at the giant sword sticking perfectly upward, we saw a lone figure atop, a long golden mane and a chiseled body… Yup, it's Lars. As he turned, he didn't look down, he looked _up_, and then a ray of light broke through the clouds and covered him in a glow of life….

I bumped Eddy on the shoulder, "Ok, number one, how the fuck did he get up there, and TWO… He's sparkling." I motioned to Lita, "Hey is he a vampire?" She gave me that cold glare, "N-no..? Ok, stupid question, then…"

I walked back over to the Deuce, forgot Blitz was still stuck in the car, pfft. As I yanked him out, Lita watched me intently – hehe, must've noticed I've been working ou- What the hell is wrong with me? She's not real, you moron, she's just a video game character… I _think_. Anyway, enough about that, we walk into the camp and Eddy begins telling his story about how he got here.

"So, let me get this straight," Lars paused, trying to find the right words to use for this most important question, "These _performers_, they don't even have to tune their own instruments?" Hehe, yeah, disregard the whole being brought here by an ancient being thought to rule the world and how he's the son of… You know, I'm not going to be the one to say it.

"Um," Lita interrupted Lars' 'ultimate question' with a sense of urgency, "Can we get back to the part where you were summoned here from another world?" Thank God Lita is asking the right questions, can't depend on Lars for these uber-important ones, can we?

Eddy grabbed his belt-buckle, "Yeah, by this little guy here." Oh shit, here we go…

Ophelia and Lars looked at each other in disbelief while Lita stared on and eventually broke the silence, "You were brought here by Ormagoden? The Eternal Fire Beast?"

"The Cremator of the Sky…" Lars added in.

"Destroyer of the Ancient World…" Ophelia added in as well.

"Yeah," Eddy explained, "I got a little blood in its mouth and it totally went nuts on me." Hehe, if only you knew why it did that, but you will once you… Man, do I _really_ have to let this happen? Maybe the game brought me here to _change_ that..? Or maybe it's complete bullshit… Either way, anyway…

As the three Resistance members talked in a tight circle, Eddy and I exchanged glances… Hey, why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?

"There are those who speak of a day when Ormagoden the Fire Beast shall bring a warrior to this world…" Lars began.

"To destroy us." Lita finished.

"To _deliver_ us!" Ophelia argued.

"There is some dispute about the translation. But having met you, I can tell you were sent here to help us. To lead us." Lars said.

"To wage war against the demons, to liberate humanity!" Ophelia cheered.

I couldn't help but jump up and join Eddy with the "Hell yeah!" comment. He looked at me strange and I replied, "Hehe, I read your mind..! Kidding…"

"But," Eddy said turning away for a moment before turning back, "I don't know anything about waging war. But, uh, I'll tell you what I _do_ know. I know from meeting you, Lars, that you are the true leader here, not me." Lars' face darkened a bit, "What I know is how to put a crew together, how to keep it organized and how to take it on the road."

Lars looked up at Eddy with a smile, stood up and patted him on the shoulder, "That, my friend, is exactly what we need."

Lita interrupted the precious Bromance moment, "But I'm sure you two are longing to return to your homeland."

Eddy 'pffted' at her remark, to which I said, "S-speak for yourself… I still haven't been able to tell that one chick how cute she was… And that one… And that one! I still have so much left to do back home."

Everybody looked at me for a moment and then Ophelia asked, "By the way, who are you? We never got your name back at the temple."

Eddy nodded, "Yeah, she's right… Who are you anyway?"

Oh boy, now I was feeling the pressure, "M-me?... U-um, my name is Johnny… Johnny Jinx… And I was evading Lionwhyte while trying to find other humans… Um, but a giant… fish-bird-monkey grabbed me and flew me up to the top of the temple, where I bumped into Eddy…. And now… Here we are…"

They just stared at me, then Ophelia – of all people – broke the silence, "O-ok, checks out okay, doesn't it?" Everybody reluctantly agreed, _especially_ Lita… She might've been hiding it pretty well, but I'm used to sensing a dangerously violent intent from people. I wonder why she wants to hurt me so bad, I have barely said two words to her…

Eddy looked back to Lars, "Anyway, where's your army, Lars?"

Lars looked away from Eddy and off to the horizon, "We… Have none. General Lionwhyte has taken most of our young men to toil in his mines."

Ophelia pointed her gothic nose into the conversation, "And he's taken our women to serve as slaves in his Pleasure Tower."

Eddy, of course, jumps right onto Ophelia's problems, "Well, let's go get'em back!"

Lars notices this and quickly turns on Ophelia, "No, you are not to go near Lionwhyte again. You were almost impaled last time!"

Eddy then becomes a mediator – how he changes from siding with a love interest to playing Peacemaker so fast, I have _no_ idea, "Compromise. We'll get the dudes out first, and then they can help us free the ladies."

Ophelia then tries to refuse the plan – God, make up your mind! – as she says, "B-but-"

Eddy does his little power-pump and says, "Time to break the chains!" He notices he's not getting a cheer from anyone; as he looks up at Lars, anger and irritation flood the leader's face.

Lars turns around to face the nearby fire-pit, eliciting silence from everyone. At last, he spoke, "I will show you the mines… But I think you'll find these chains very hard to break." With that, the meeting was over, and Ophelia showed us to where we were to sleep, since it was so late. Funny enough, I found it easy to relax in a tiny hut, even without a mattress or any of that. As I was just nodding off to sleep, I heard a soft voice reach inside my tent…

"Psst, hey, Johnny… Pssssst, Johnny, you awake?"

Ophelia? As I scoot my way over to the tent entrance, I open the flap to see Ophelia, still dressed in her shirt and jeans, looking WIDE awake, "I'm awake **now**… What do you want?"

"I need your help, I can't ask Lars or Eddy, since they're going to go free the guys, and Lita is so…"

"Tsundere-ish?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ah, nevermind, it's a… Term we like to use back where I come from," I mentally slapped myself for such a comment, "Anyway, you needed my help..? Are you _sure_ you need my help?" Whatever it was, it sounded dangerous.

"I need your help to sneak into Lionwhyte's Pleasure Tower to save some of the ladies." AHH! I knew it! Dangerous, warning, keep out!

"Ahhh, I'unno… I mean… Why can't we wait for Eddy and Lars to get back from the mission?"

She yanked on my shirt and pulled me in close, "Listen, do you have any idea – any idea _at all_ – what goes on in that Tower!" This is true, besides little context clues, we really don't know what happens in the Tower… So, how is it that _I_ get to see just what happened? The Tower wouldn't even have a layout, would it..? So… I mean…. I'm at a loss for words.

"Mehhh," I was going to say no, I'm going to say no, I _want _to say no, "Ok, I'll help you." Damn you, conscience! Damn you and your weakness to goth girls and tsunderes!... Ok, I'm just weak to all women, really, I can't help it.

I said goodnight to Ophelia as I crawled back into my hut, grabbing the few blankets nearby and pulling them over top of me. It took me a while before I was finally falling asleep… Ah, blissful slee-

_Thwack, thwack, thwack._

Loud sounds came from the flap of my tent… What the hell! I'm going to get no sleep, am I? I guess Ophelia forgot to tell me something. I went over to the flap and flung it open, "Look, Ophelia, can't this wait ti-" Huh, was Ophelia always blonde and wearing skin tight leather?

"Hey, Johnny, can I ask you a few things?" Lita asked

I looked down at my watch, "At three in the morning?..." She looked at me with… Surprisingly un-cold eyes, "Ugh, fine, just hurry up and get in here before someone sees you and misunderstands!" I move away so that she can come inside my tent. As she moved to the back and sat there, she just looked at me, "Um, you were going to ask me a few questions?"

She suddenly blinked and said, "O-oh, right, sorry, it's been a long night." Yeah, you're telling me… She got up and began pacing around the room, "U-um, what do you think of Ophelia?"

Umm… What to say? I opened my mouth, but then closed it, and then opened it again, "Um, I-I don't really know what you mean when you ask me that…"

"D-do you think that… She's a Tear Drinker?" Oh, God, not _this_. Jesus, what is it with her trying to prove that Ophelia is a Tear Drinker?

"No, I don't, I mean, just because her parents did doesn't mean-"

"W-wait, how do you know Ophelia's parents?" Aw, damn it. I let my tongue slip.

"S-she mentioned it… While we were driving down from the temple… Anyway, got any other questions?" I needed to drop aggro real quick, otherwise I'm going to wipe… Permanently!

She huffed and went to the tent's exit, "No."

Good, get out of here… Need some damn sleep. As she was walking out, I couldn't help but look at the way her leather pants clung so well to her firm… U-um, legs… Yeah, legs.

"_Haha, nice try dumbass."_

"_Yes, quite a façade you're trying to put on, quite admirable."_

Argh, damn it! Don't try and make it sound something perverted… She's just a crummy tsundere character, anyway. I'd _**never**_ be interested in someone like that… _**NEVER.**_

"_Hehe, we never said that you were interested, all we said was 'nice try' and 'façade', dumbass."_

"_Yes, you were the one who said all those embarrassing things."_

How were they doing that! Argh, whatever, good night! Damn! I was so fed up of the banter that I was asleep before my head hit the ground. Thankfully, no other interruptions occurred, so I slept for a good… Four hours… Next time someone wants to talk to me in the middle of the night… I'm going to fucking kill them. Anyway, morning came, Eddy and Lars left for the mines while the rest of us saw them off. As soon as they were out of earshot and sight, Ophelia and I began planning on how to infiltrate the Tower… And _**THIS**_ was the best idea she had!

"I feel," I seethed as she tied up the dress, "Like a complete moron…"

"Don't," Ophelia said, tightening the last string, "It looks good on you." A smile spread across her face… She's enjoying this a little too much…

We heard tapping on the tent flap, "Ophelia, is Johnny with you? I can't find him anywhere."

Ophelia clapped her hand over my mouth and yelled out to Lita, "Nope, not in here, it's just me in here. Um, why don't you check out down near the center? I thought I saw him going over there…"

"O-oh, okay…" We heard footsteps going away, so she let go of me and we resumed our ridiculous plan…

"Are you sure this is going to work?... How are we gonna sneak in Blitz and Donner?" I asked her, the panty-hose constricting my legs.

"Don't worry, my friends on the inside will get those two in, along with your guitar." She replied.

"Oh hell no," I retorted, "N-nobody touches Gi-tah! She's my guitar…" She turned to face me with a weird look on her face, "E-excuse me, I'm getting dressed, please don't stare. And I know it sounds weird that I call my guitar a 'she'…"

Ophelia turned around, fidgeting around as I got on the heels – dear God, how do women wear these things… Thank God nobody will ever know about this – then I heard her say something, "What was that?"

"Um, nothing," Ophelia said, "By the way, I couldn't help but notice that _Lita_ went into your tent last night… What was all that about?"

"N-nothing… She was just," Got to think fast, "She was just asking me where I found Donner and Blitz, that's all." Haha, said that with my best acting ability; I could even fool a polygraph test, I'm so awesome.

"Nice try, liar." Ophelia quickly responded. Heh, maybe it was a pulse checker I fooled? Anyway, I just told her to drop it, since it wasn't helping me get over this ridiculous plan. She looked at me after I was done, "So, you know the plan?"

"Unfortunately," I said, pulling my skirt down a bit, "YES… And I cannot wait to take this crap off…"

The plan was to disguise ourselves as chicks to get inside the Tower. Then, once inside, we are to make it to the Security Sector of the Tower and remove the Seal on Cells 56-65, releasing another group of girls. Then, the 'Roadies' will come in and hand us our weapons, and then we storm the Cell Area, where we'll escort the group out to the Roadies. Then, the girls will hide inside the boxes while Ophelia and I provide cover. Hopefully, the Roadies will also bring me some clothes to change into, this dress is killing me. The Roadies came and picked us up and we infiltrated the tower, much to my surprise. Thank God that those Roadies are invisible to guard towers, otherwise, we wouldn't have even made it half-way inside.

What can be said about the Pleasure Tower? That it is a haven for those who wish to live a life of luxury… Of course, in exchange for selling your soul to a guy who uses thirty cans of hairspray just to get his bed hair in order. I wonder what would happen if we ran into Lionwhyte while exploring the Tower? Would we have to fight him, or would Ophelia and I run away? Well, we'd cross that bridge when we come to it. For the moment, we needed to focus on how to get to the Security Sector.

"How _are_ we going to reach the Security Sector, anyway?" I asked Ophelia as we lay inside the cases, with barely an inch of space between us. Thank God for the holes in the box.

"Simple, we are to seduce one of the guards and have the guard bring us there, and then we knock them out and free the girls." She said with a straight face.

"… You **are** kidding, right?" I asked.

"Nope, completely serious."

"… You do realize I'm a **guy**, right..? A **straight guy**."

"You just have to act. Just do what you did when you tried to lie about what Lita was doing in your tent." Ophelia said, a slight chuckle with it.

"Haha, I'm glad you're having a good time here," I said, irritated, "And, just so you know, **nothing** happened, okay? She just asked me a few questions, I answered them and then she left."

"Yeah, sure thing," Ophelia said, with a slight pause she continued, "Oh yeah, there was something I wanted to tell you."

"Oh God, don't tell me you feel uncomfortable that Lita came into my tent, 'cause I'm jus-"

"Um, no, it's not about that… Why would I feel uncomfortable?"

"…Uhh, I-I'unno.. Anyway you were saying?"

She turned to look at me, giving me this look that said 'Geez, you should learn to put your foot in your mouth', "What I was saying is that there is another sword here."

"… I'm sorry, what?"

"Another Fang of Ormagoden."

… Wait, what? I gave her my befuddled look, "W-what's this about the 'Fang of Ormagoden'?"

Now SHE gave me her befuddled look, "You know Blitz and Donner? Those are two of the Eight Fangs of Ormagoden. Ancient, powerful swords forged from the teeth of Ormagoden, supposedly."

"_Not supposedly, it is all true."_

Donner? What did you mean by that?

"_It is time I tell you the history of the Eight Fangs of Ormagoden. Blitz, myself, Regen, Asche, Erde, Sturm, Engel and Abgrund. We were born when the First Emperor of the Demons brought Ormagoden down to the Earth with Aetulia's song. When Ormagoden was slain, his body separated to create the trees, the waters, and the light itself."_

Yeah, that much I know… Although, I don't know if you'd believe me.

"_We know already. Just as you can communicate with us through telepathy, we can delve into your memories. We know how you are not of this world, how this is supposedly some kind of 'game' and how, one time in a place called Barcelona, you-"_

Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to go there. What does THAT have to do with the Fangs?

"_Sorry, Blitz and I found the whole event… Humorous. In any case, back to the story. When Ormagoden was slain, the First Emperor took his teeth, eight of them, and from them forged us. We hold partial power of the Cremator, separated between the eight of us. If, by any chance, the eight of us were to be reunited, then we could change reality, creating a distortion through time and space."_

Wait, time-space distortion..? That sounds like something that could send me back home! Is that right?

"_Yes, you catch on quite fast… Peasant. Anyway, we must find out which sword is there. Try asking that girl what the sword looked like, if she saw it."_

Can do, Donner. I turned to face Ophelia, "Hey, Ophelia, tell me more about this sword you saw… Like, maybe, what it looked like?"

Ophelia closed her eyes, "It was some time ago, back when I tried to assassinate Lionwhyte in his own room. As I was rummaging around for a weapon, I came across a sword I couldn't pick up, no matter how hard I tried." She opened her eyes and turned to me, "As for what it looked like, it was blue and was all curvy, like a scimitar."

"_Big Sis!"_

"_That's Regen, our older sister, also the Fang of Water."_

"So, it's in Lionwhyte's room..? Ophelia," I paused, "Do you think… We could go back to Lionwhyte's room? I need to get that sword no matter what."

Ophelia laid there for a while, silent, and then finally spoke, "I guess, if we have enough time. Although, we won't have much since once those guys are knocked out, it won't take much time for the other guards to notice."

"Okay, so run in, get the girls, get the sword and get the **Hell** out of Dodge, right?" I said.

"Pretty much."

"Super."

We knew it was time to go when the shuffling heard outside finally stopped and we were suddenly dropped. They could've taken an extra two seconds to set us down gently or something, for crying out loud. Anyway, we waited a few moments before sliding out of the case and into the open; it was surprisingly quiet, considering it was a Pleasure Tower, hehehe.

I tugged on my dress as we walked through the halls, and the heels were killing my feet even though we haven't been walking for even a minute. The closest thing I had to high-heels were my geta I got from a convention a ways back, but not once did they hurt like **this** Hell. As we turned a few corners, we practically bumped into a guard patrol.

Ophelia looked at me and gave me a slight nod that said, 'Yeah, we're gonna seduce them.'

As Ophelia and I rounded the corner, the guards saw us and told us to halt. They came over and began questioning us… And we seduced them… I'm not proud of myself at all, but this is for the sake of saving a lot of girls and getting a key to sending me back home.

Ophelia twirled her hair as she spoke to one of the guards, "Oh, but we can't talk privately here, isn't that right, Jo?"

I looked at her like, 'Are you frickin' serious?'

She returned a look that said, 'Don't do it, and our cover is blown.'

"Yeah," I said, winking at the other guard and talking in the girliest voice I could think of, "_Privately~_." Oh, God, I think I'm going to **heave**. Fortunately – and yet, unfortunately – the guards believed our act and took us to the Security Room. As we entered the room, Ophelia went in first as the other two guards followed and I closed the door. I stopped and wondered how we were going to beat them up with no weapons.

No sooner had I thought that, I heard two loud smacks and two groans, followed by another two smacks to the ground. I turned around to see Ophelia standing over the two guards, a triumphant smile plastered onto her face, "Geez, no wonder Eddy thinks you're awesome, that was like Ryu from Ninja Gaiden times ten. I didn't even realize you could do that much damage."

"Um, what did Eddy say about me?"

"N-nothing, anyway, what now? We don't have much time before the guards notice one of their patrols is gone." I said, trying to change the subject quickly. Ophelia really isn't supposed to know until the Screaming Wall stage, and that's not for a while.

"You're right, we should focus on freeing the girls now. However, once the girls are freed, they'll know that we're in this room. So, once I hit the switch, we gotta run… Fast."

"Sure thing just let me get out of these damn heels, first." I said, ripping those things off like the foot leaches they were. I rubbed my heels and toes as Ophelia went to work on the computer… By the way, what was a computer doing in the Metal Ages anyway? And not just any kind of a computer, this looks like something from the _future_ almost… What is this place anyway? The past, the future or maybe a parallel universe…? Wait, this is a game. Haha, wow, I almost lost myself there for a moment.

"Ok, we're ready to go whenever you are, Johnny." Ophelia said, her hands around the switch. As I gave her a nod for switch-pulling, her hands pulled that switch and we were out the door before we heard the alarms go off. Out of nowhere, guards began piling into the hallways, but only Ophelia was able to fight them off at the moment.

As we made our way through the twisting corridors, we found a stash of crates at a crossroads. As we opened them up, I eventually found Donner, Blitz and my guitar, and Ophelia grabbed her twin blades as well. We were armed to the teeth, now, and nothing was going to stand in our way… Except maybe-

"Reinforcements!" Ophelia shouted.

"Roger!" I answered, pulling Blitz around to fire a bolt into a charging enemy. As another enemy came around, I pulled Donner around and used his Vibrato to slice right through his weapon and cut across his chest, spilling… A lot of… b-blo… Blood… I quickly turn around to lightly barf in my mouth… Wow, the graphics are to die for here, huh..? Now I really wish I was back home in my warm bed, drinking Coke and looking up po- I mean, cute kitty videos… What, I can't like cute things? Then again, right now I'm in a dress, "Hey, Ophelia, did your friends drop any clothes with them?"

"Yeah, I knew you'd want to change out of those things as soon as possible, so I had them bring some clothes as well, they're in that crate over there." She rummages through her pockets to pull out a piece of paper, tossing it to me, "This is a map that leads to Lionwhyte's room. You go up there to grab the sword and draw some enemy fire, while I go down and free the girls."

"Okay, you better hurry; the next wave will be here in a few minutes, if my respawn counter is right on target." Haha, I couldn't help but make a joke about respawn.

"Um, I'll take that as something bad happening." She turned and ran down the hallway to the left as I rummaged through the crate with my new threads. I moved into an empty crate to change – like Hell I was going to change out in the open. As I stepped back out of the crate, I checked out my new wardrobe, which turned out to fit me really well.

A hooded shirt – sweet, always wanted one of these – with fingerless gloves, green colored. My black pants were a loose fabric that almost simulated the samurai hakama while my shoes were Converse. A pair of belts wrapped and criss-crossed over my waist while I attach the last piece of armor on my right shoulder – a metal guard wrapped around my upper arm.

As I slung my guitar over my back, I noticed one more piece inside the crate. It was a long black case with two slots on it, and on top of it was a note that said 'This might help with carrying your swords'. I take Donner and Blitz and try sticking them in the case. Sure enough, they slid right into the dual scabbard which linked together perfectly with my double belt. Perfect, I was ready for whatever came my way.

As I made my way through the right hallway, I eventually came to a staircase and began my ascent, paying close attention to the map as I navigated the stronghold. Every now and then, I ran into a guard, which I quickly dispatched with a quick-shot of Blitz's Staccato. It seemed that the ruckus about the girls escaping was making it easier to ascend the stairs… However, the real problem was getting back down safely… Or just down at all.

No point in worrying about that now, though. Right now, I need to grab Regen, the Fang of Water and get more information regarding these swords. Like, where do I find the rest? How long would it take to find out the rest? Would I ever find the rest, anyway..?

Am I ever going to go back home..? Back to my life? Where I'm a normal college student who simply enjoys playing video games and trying to find love..?

"_Hey, dumbass, we're here."_

"_Wake up, Peasant… We're at the den of the 'Lion'."_

"_That was a horrible joke, Donner."_

"_Takes one to know one."_

"_What was that!"_

Huh? Oh sorry, I didn't even realize it… I was just thinking. As I opened the door, it creaked and slammed against the wall. As I walked through the room, which was circular and, surprisingly, plain, I noticed over on the wall a mounted blade, blue and curvy. Is that it, you think?

"_That depends, let us find out. She might've gone into hibernation in order to hide her identity from the Demons. If so, we'll have a hard time of waking her up. If we can somehow transfer our energy to her, she might wake up."_

So, what does that mean, exactly?

"_We need some sort of medium to relay the energy. However, it cannot be simply 'touch-n-go', per say, but instead something powerful… Something that can be understood in any form…"_

I feel a slight warmth come from my back. I reach back to grab my guitar, instantly sending electricity through my hands. Would something like music be enough to send the energy?

"_Something like that..? I don't see why not, we can at least give it a try. Try sticking both me and Blitz into the sides of the guitar, and we'll turn into make-shift amplifiers."_

Sure, makes complete total sense to me… Yeah right. In any case, I pulled Donner and Blitz from their scabbard and stabbed them into my guitar… Wait, I thought that you could only affect metal that was from Ormagoden?

"_Oh, my apologies, in truth, we can alter any kind of form… It's just that things that have been in direct contact with the Fire Beast himself make it easier to change the form. However, we are fine with this. Compared to making a seat in the Druid Plow, this is nothing."_

Ok, then I just strum the guitar when you are ready?

"_Pretty much."_

Ok, here we go then. As I lightly played on my guitar – I used 'Someday the Dream Will End' from Final Fantasy X – I felt heat rise up from the guitar. I could see the heat – I guess it was the energy – as it traveled over to the blue steel on the wall, warping around it. I repeated the tab three times – a full playthrough of three minutes – before I noticed the blade beginning to glow.

"_Mmm, w-what's going on?"_

"_Big Sis!"_

"_Older Sister."_

"_Oh my, Donner? And Blitz? What are you two doing here?"_

"_We came to save you, ya' dummy."_

"_Yes, with the help of this Peasant."_

"_Oh? So, you helped my brothers out of their prison?"_

Um, yes… I assume you are Regen, the Fang of Water?

"_Yes, I am… How is it that you can wield us?"_

Um, I don't really know, exactly. I just picked them up because I needed a weapon, and then I found out that if I gather all eight of you together, I can go back home… So, I really only do it out of necessity.

"_Hm, interesting…. He's nothing like him, is he?"_

"_No, Older Sister, he's quite the opposite… Yet, somewhat similar."_

"_I don't care, really… Let's get out of here, already."_

Um, who exactly is this 'him' you all are talking about?

"Oi," A voice yelled out, "What are you doing in my room?" Sounded like a snobby, British-sounding frontman… Oh shit, is it-

I turned to see a man in bright colored jean clothes and insanely large hair, "L-Lionwhyte!" Shit, just what I wanted to avoid! How am I supposed to escape the leader of the Tainted Coil's Human Division! There were no paths to escape – Lionwhyte was blocking the only way out… Then again, there is the _window_, but that's a sure-death… Unless…

Donner, Blitz… Is it possible to form wings that can actually fly?

"_What the hell kind of question is that?"_

"_Hmm… Yes, I think we can do something along those lines… For what purpose, though?"_

We're going to distract Lionwhyte, grab Regen and then jump out the window, where we'll soar away, safe and sound.

"_That's crazy!... I like it."_

"_Not very fond of it – very crude and whatnot – but an effective plan, nonetheless."_

Good, we'll execute the plan… NOW!

"Hey," I yelled, pointing past him and into the hall, "Look! A distraction!"

The dumbass looked as I turned back around and grabbed Regen, never looking back to see if Lionwhyte noticed I just totally played his sorry ass. As I ran toward the window, I sent Donner and Blitz a mental message for them to change into wings. When I jumped through that window, I felt like a total badass, then realized I was free-falling to my death, so I quickly put my guitar beneath me. I felt the wings carry wind beneath us and pull us up. As we glided down, I heard screaming behind me.

Oh shit, I forgot that he uses his hair to fly… How is that even possible..? Looks like it's going to be an Aerial Battle!

**So, this is the newest chapter, of course. And, even though I said last time that that chapter was going to be the longest one… Yeah, this one is freaking long as well… So, disregard that last one. And I know I cut off at a cliff-hanger… But why not? This just means you'll come back to read the next chapter as well! XD Once again, thanks to all those who added this to their alerts and reviewed, you guys are great!**


	4. Chapter 3

**So, this has been a long time coming. Sorry for such a long delay. I had Christmas, New Years, new computer, college… Life, unlike you losers. *glances to the audience* Yeah, I'm talking about you! Anyway, you must be here because you knew I wouldn't leave you guys with such an obvious cliff-hanger… And, I'll be honest, I thought about just going, "Yeah, no, no more chapters.' But then you'd all be like, ';O; *sad face*' So, yeah. I've also been busy writing a chapter to 'Soul Spiral', a Persona 3 fan-fic, which might also include a bit of P4, depending on what I get on it. Also, been brainstorming a new WoW fan-fic, but decided to put that on hold so that I can focus on this, since this is one of my best works, apparently, haha. I took the time to replay 'Brutal Legend', getting reacquainted with all the characters and, while they're fresh in mind, writing down this chapter.**

**Verse 3: Brutal Bosses /O\O/O\O/O\::::**

How do I get myself into these situations? No, scratch that… How does a situation like **this** even happen! You know, a few days ago, I was sitting around on my porch, drinking some Coke-Cola and thinking how cool it would be to be in a video game… Like Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball… And Bayonetta… But, in retrospect, I was naïve… The simple fact **should be** that it wouldn't happen, but you already knew that, didn't you?

Unfortunately, Fate decided to just screw me over, so to speak, as it spirited me away… In the form of shadow-arms pulling me into my killer TV… Along with my guitar… Which, really, does nothing except when it's plugged in. No killer special moves, no flames or lightning… Not even a cool scythe… It's just a normal guitar. Oh, but these swords I have stuck inside of it are special. Oh yeah, they're freaking **magical**.

Donner and Blitz, along with their sister Regen are these Fangs of Ormagoden, this ancient creature who once roamed the skies, burning shit up. Yeah, he was cool, until this chick named Aetulia was forced into bringing him down to the earth so the Demons could tear him apart and stuff… That was a bitch move. Anyway, if I can somehow manage to bring the other five Fangs together, there's a small chance I could go home. Sounds easy enough right? Oh, except for the fact they're hidden, sealed away, or just plain **gone**.

No worries though…

….

… $%^&, I'm sooooo dead.

Because of these stupid Fangs and my desire to go home… I'm being chased by a snotty, British front-man who fights and flies using his hair… His **HAIR**! I'm so sick of him! 'Oi, wher're you goin'?' I hate his freakin accent, it's neither here nor there. Either be English or American! Make up your mind!

"Would you stop chasing me around? I'm getting sick of this!" I yelled at him as I tried to maintain balance on my guitar neck. Oh, right, I'm flying… On my guitar… Yeah, I told you before, crap like this **shouldn't** happen, right? Well, it does to me, apparently. Oh, and try flying when you're, oh I don't know… About some-hundred feet off the ground!

"Give me back mah sword, you thief." Lionwhyte snarled at me, beginning a charge attack. I quickly did a barrel-roll while holding onto my guitar for dear life.

"Hey," I yelled down to Donner and Blitz, which made the wings that helped me fly out here, "Do you think you could also make some foot braces, so I don't freakin' fall off my guitar?" I felt my guitar get heavier for a moment, since we dropped a little, and then metal sprung from the sides of the neck and on the base part of my guitar and wrapped itself around my feet, "Much obliged."

"_Whatever, Dumbass."_

"_Hmph, just don't drop Regen, Peasant."_

"Ha, of course I won't!" I said, keeping a tight grip on Regen, the Fang of Water, as I… Descended? I panicked a little, "H-hey guys, are we falling?"

"… _Oh my, we are. Then again, we can't fly, can we?"_

"I thought you said you could make wings!"

"_Yes, I did say that… But they're purely aesthetical. Why you think that we could fly when we're made of metal and bone is beyond me."_

"Don't get snippy with me!" I looked back as I saw Lionwhyte slowly catching up to us, "Well, what do we do now?"

"_I think I may be able to help you, since you helped my brothers and I."_

"Regen, right?" I said, ducking another of Lionwhyte's attacks, "Um, you have a plan or something?"

"_That I do, my Trigger, 'Slur', allows me to extend and wrap around objects. You could, in theory, use me to attach to one of those convenient towers and fly above those convenient vents, allowing you to gain some lift and ascend."_

"My, how… Convenient." What? I couldn't think of anything to say except that. She used the word 'convenient' like, ten times or something! Anyway, I felt around for a trigger and found a silver button just above my grip. I lightly pressed it as I watched Regen's blade extend and turn to… Well, _water_. It acted as if it had a mind of its own, which it kind of did, but that's not really what I meant by it. What I meant was- Oh forget it! It's taking away from the action. Regen's _arm_ wrapped around a nearby tower, pulling and pushing me to a nearby air vent. As I glided over it, the wind was caught under Donner and Blitz and we rose a few feet into the air.

Regen let go of the tower and we began to slowly descend again, with Lionwhyte on our tail, "Okay, now what? We stopped our fall, but we still got Mr. Hairspray on our tail." This was bad, we needed some way to stop him, but what could we do? The only way to stop him is to stop his... "We need to get him near a gas vent, and quick!"

I looked around frantically for something reminiscent of a gas line. I mean, they have computers here, why wouldn't they have a gas line? It's just common sense… Oh wait, I'm in a video game, haha. Common sense has pretty much flown right out the window. Still, this was a semi-solid plan, so I went with it. As we turned another corner around the Pleasure Tower, I saw a bright red pipe running along the tower's ridges and such, dipping into the building ever few feet. That was either a water mane or a gas line. Let's find out, shall we?

I dipped down so that we flew a bit past the tube. As Lionwhyte pursued us, I suddenly realized I have no way to blow it up! Damn it! My mind tingled in frustration… But then images floated around in my brain, a maneuver… Wait, of course!

"Donner," I yelled, "I need you to maneuver down to the bottom of the guitar and act as propulsion. Become somewhat of a jet and shoot me up into the air!"

"_Excuse me? Are you or-"_

"Moron! Just do it!" There was no time for hesitation; I had only one shot to do this!

"_Fine, if that's what you want."_

As Donner phased out into the guitar to move to the bottom, I took the moment to grab Blitz out of the guitar as well. We suddenly dropped a little as we had no wings to glide upon. However, a split-second later, a great amount of energy built up and shot me into the air. As I felt weightless in the air, I flipped upside-down and pulled Blitz into firing position, "Die, you sonuva-"

I clicked the Trigger and fired a powerful Staccato right into the gas line, causing it to explode right next to Lionwhyte, burning some of his hair off. As I regained some control, I pulled my body around and leveled it out, pointing downward to gain some momentum, "Cut-Back Drop-Turn!" I glided past Lionwhyte and aimed Regen to another tower to pull us around to attack him again.

"Okay, this time," I yelled to both Regen and Donner, "Regen, you latch onto that tower and hold it, and you, Donner, give it all that you can to the jet, okay? We're gonna hit him hard, so be prepared!" As Regen latched onto the tower, Donner propelled us at super-speed, creating an effect similar to those G-force spinners they have at NASA. As we made a three-sixty around the tower, I released Regen's Trigger and flew at Lionwhyte at a break-neck pace. He didn't even see me coming, haha.

As I flew at him, I did a barrel roll and exchanged Regen and Blitz – told them to become wings – and brought out Donner. As I regained my form, I slammed on the Trigger – 'Vibrato' – and sliced a good chunk of Lionwhyte's hair off. He yelled profanities as he fell down to the ground, but was saved as he glided inside the building through an open window. I held onto my guitar tightly as we glided down closer to the ground. I then remembered that Ophelia and I never talked about a rendezvous point!

As we neared the ground, the clasps on my feet dissolved and the swords popped right out as I face-planted and –grinded against the ground. I thought I broke my arm or something, but thankfully, the arm-guard broke most of my fall, so I had a few scrapes and not much else. I propped myself up to grab Gi-tah and went over to the Fangs, "Hey, you guys okay?"

"_We're okay, Dumbass. Just a little tired, is all."_

"_Yes, the fact that we used our Triggers so many times after recently awakening is a bit taxing. Nothing a good amount of rest won't cure."_

"_That was quite fun, I must admit! I'm so happy to be with my little brothers once again."_

"Yeah, yeah, super family moment, but we need to get moving… Since the sheath was made for Donner and Blitz, Regen will stay in my hand." As I sheathed Donner and Blitz, I held Regen in my hand and a warm glow came from it, "So, are you the only female Fang? Or is there another?"

"_Well, there's Donner, Blitz and I. We make the Storm Triplets. Then there's Asche, the Fang of Fire; Sturm, the Fang of Wind; Erde, the Fang of Stone; Engel, the Fang of Light; and Abgrund, the Fang of Darkness. Aside from me, Engel is the only female Fang."_

"Wait, you three are the Storm Triplets? Why do you get titles like that?" It seemed weird that these three would get titles… Also, how are they only brothers and sister, when there are eight of them?

"_Well, it's because we resonate better when we're together. The other fangs are too different to relate to one another. However, while we were young, we three bonded together."_

"Hmm… So, it's a lot like Social Links… The closer you are, the stronger you become. Am I understanding right?"

"_Yes, correct. Asche was always too hard-headed. Sturm is too playful. Erde is too quiet. Engel is always so uptight. And… Abgrund is Abgrund."_

Hmm… So, even though they were made from the same being, these Fangs actually seem like… _Real_ people. Like, you could talk to them in real life and you wouldn't know the difference. The Eight Fangs of Ormagoden, huh? Gather the Eight and you shall be able to pass through time and space… It's a plot device, isn't it?

As we made our way through the outlying area of the Pleasure Tower, near some pools of water, I saw a speck of black a ways away. As I called out to them, they replied and it seemed it was urgent… Wait, isn't this where Ophelia… Oh no…

I sprinted over to the Roadies and the Razor Girls, "Did something happen?" Of course something happened; this was when Ophelia gets injured… Dammit! If only we hadn't split up! Even so, this was meant to happen. Otherwise, Eddie and Ironheade would never recruit the Killmaster and his Thunderhog crew. As we all should know, no healers in a party means perma-wipe in every battle, so this was a crucial point to the story.

I carried Ophelia on my back as the Roadies escorted the Razor Girls and I through the Cleave. I looked at the walls as the turrets peered around, the gears whirring within the hollow cavern. As we neared the exit, the Roadies pulled us over to the side where a hidden passageway was, apparently how they got past the giant gate barring the way between the Great Highway and the Pleasure Tower. We made our way through, coming out under the Great Highway a mile or so west of the Cleave's actual entrance, waist-deep in water.

I turned back to the Roadies, "Thanks for the help guys. Stick around for a while, we'll need you pretty soon." The Roadies gave me a thumbs-up and turned back to head into the Cleave. I looked to the Razor Girls, "Um, well, I'm sure you're wondering who I am, but the important thing is that you head to the ruins north of here, you know, with the statues of female singers." As the girls headed out to the ruins, I turned in all different directions, "And, I have no idea how to get back to Bladehenge…"

"Um, excuse me," I heard a soft voice call out, "If you want, I could show you back to your home." I turned around to see nothing but water and rocks, "No, no, over here." I turned to my left, nothing; turned to my right, nothing.

"Um, I don't know whe-"

"BOO!" I felt something poke me in the back as I jumped, nearly dropping Ophelia. As I spun around, I saw a blonde girl in tight yet revealing leather clothing – must say, nice underboob – and a playful grin on her face, "Sorry, but we don't have much time for playing around. Follow me." She turned and began running through the crevice, heading to the open base beneath the bridge.

Although I have no idea why, I began following this girl, being careful not to drop Ophelia or slip and fall into the water.

"Hey!" I yelled to her, "Who are you? I mean, I appreciate you helping me out here, but…" Wait, her clothing was very similar to the Zaulia, but she wore no face-paint. Maybe it was just coincidence? "Are you… A member of the Zaulia?"

She stopped running and turned around, forcing me to slide to a halt, "Well, I used to be part of their group, but I was exiled, so now I live out here. Now, how do **you** know about the Zaulia?" She crossed her arms and gave me a questioning look, "Anyone east of the Cleave should be nearly invisible to other civilizations. Well, with the exception of the Fire Barons… Always lighting stuff on fire, they cause riots just going outside."

"Uhhh, good question, well," I drew a blank; if it was Lita or Lars, I would have something, but I've never met this character before! There's no telling what answer might do what to her impression of me… So, I'll play dumb, "Zaulia? What's a Zaulia? A type of fruit?"

"… You do know you were the one to call me a Zaulia, right?"

I coughed, trying to change the subject, "Look, my friend is seriously injured, please… Please, guide me back to Bladehenge?" She put her fingers to her chin and looked away, pondering before nodding, "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all," She pranced away, turning back every now and then to make sure I didn't fall behind, "Besides, it's the least I could do for the Inheritor." 'Inheritor'? What was that? As we walked out from under the Great Highway, I realized that it was beginning to get late, and it started looking cloudy in the distance, "Uh-oh, looks like it's going to rain… We better hurry, Inheritor."

"Why do you keep calling me this 'Inheritor' thing? Is it some kind of title?" She didn't look back at me, but instead she stopped next to the Artifact Egg, leaning against it. I walked up and relaxed a little, helping Ophelia move up my back and into more of a comfortable position.

"The Inheritor," She paused, maybe trying to think of how to put it, "The Inheritor is the one who wields the Eight Fangs, he who inherits the power of Ormagoden."

"Wait, how did you know I had the Fangs?"

"You're holding them in your hands, are you not?"

I looked down at Regen, "Oh, right… Well, it's a bit annoying carrying them around, but they're my ticket home, so whatever." Why was I telling her about my predicament? If this got back to Eddie or Lars or even Lita, I'd have a lot of explaining to do.

"But there's more to it than that," She said, "It was said that only Demons could hold the swords, however, you're human and you can wield three of them… Something about you is… Unordinary."

"Heh, maybe I'm unordinary in the respect that I'm the only normal thing around here?" I joked.

She spun around on her heel and glared at me, "This is no laughing matter. No matter how unordinary a human may be, only Demons can hold the Fangs." She walked up to me and looked me over, "Still, no matter how I look at you, all I can see is human… You are a strange one." I'm strange! Look at how you're dressed: leather and pretty much NOTHING else.

"Well, excuse me for being me," I paused, "I'm sorry, I didn't quite get your name."

"… It's Katherine, but you can call me Kat." Katherine, huh? I wasn't expecting that, to be honest. I was guessing Brunhildr or something like that. Now that she was close up, she's actually kind of cute, although I would never say it out loud.

"Anyway, we should keep going. We need to get her back to Bladehenge so she can get some help." Kat nodded and we continued on our way to Bladehenge, always watching for whenever we walked out into the open for Lionwhyte's men. Once we made it to the giant guitar statue jutting about a hundred feet out of the ground, we figured we were safe from Lionwhyte. I doubt he would come all the way out here just to kick my ass… Then again, I **did** burn and cut some of his almighty hair off, hehehehe.

We made it into the village safely – well, except for Ophelia – and we were greeted by two hulking figures running at us: Lars and Eddie.

"Ophelia!" Lars came up beside us and looked at Ophelia – bloodied and bruised – and then looked to me.

"I-I'm sorry… I was somewhere else when it happened…" What else could I say? I wasn't there… I couldn't do anything…

Lars lifted Ophelia off my back and into his arms, "Don't tell me… You went to try and free the girls?"

Ophelia's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, "No, they're already free." After that, she passed out, slouching in Lars's arms.

A moment of silence passed before Lars said he would take her to the Kill Master, with Lita – of course – trying to stop him. After that didn't work out, she tried to convince Eddie to stop Lars. That worked even **less**. After Eddie followed Lars out of Bladehenge, it was me, Lita… And-

"Johnny, who is this?" Lita asked, grabbing for her halberd and glaring at Kat.

"Ah, right," I said, clearing my throat, "Katherine, this is Lita. Lita, this is Katherine… She helped me find my way back to Bladehenge after escaping the Pleasure Tower." After that, Lita asked what happened exactly. I told her to the best of my knowledge what happened… She grinned a little when I told her how I defeated Lionwhyte. However… I knew that she was mad that I let Ophelia get hurt.

After resting for a while, we decided to go to the Kill Master to see if they were okay, however… For some reason, I couldn't help but feel that Lita was more… _On edge_ than usual. I mean, while we walked and talked, every time I smiled at Kat, I could feel her eyes on me… Things were getting weird, so I suggested we start running there in case there was an emergency. It worked out fine and we made it there as the sun was rising into the sky… Wait, it's been shining all day! How long does day usually last here!

In any case, we made our way up the treacherous hill, watching out for falling rocks and other problems. We took care of some straggling Lionwhyte henchmen, but found a good amount of bodies lying around. We must've come just after the battle… Which means this should be when Eddie heads down to the Lair of the Spider Queen.

As we came to the final turn of the hill, we spotted Lars – with Ophelia on his back – and Eddie walking into the Kill Master's cave area. We quickly caught up and looked around, other Thunderhoggers were sitting around, smoking and drinking, glaring at us from behind those sunglasses. As Lars laid Ophelia down in the Center Amp Altar, we found our eyes upon the Kill Master, sitting upon his throne in the music booth.

Despite the giant monster skull staring us down, what freaked me out was the spider web hanging behind the Kill Master. I have never been a big fan of spiders, and I probably never will, but these weren't normal spiders… These are **Metal** Spiders, these make our spiders look like ants… Or some other really weak or small being… Maybe an amoeba?

As the spiders skittered around the Kill Master, he moved and looked down at us, "Now, wha' the hell?" For someone with the name Kill Master, he sure has a laid-back personality.

"Noble Kill Master," Lars began, "This woman-"

"Didn' you see the sign?" The cigarette wiggled from left to right in his mouth, "We don' like visitors up here."

Lars glowered, "But she's **dying**."

Kill Master scoffed, "Oh yeah? What's **their** excuse?" He motioned to us in the back – Eddie, Lita, Kat and I.

Lars bowed before the altar and the Kill Master, "I beg of you: Heal this woman, who wanted nothing more than to free her sisters from the grip of General Lionwhyte."

At the mention of Lionwhyte, the Kill Master pulled his hat back, his eyebrows arched in surprise and glee, "Ah, ya fightin' Lionwhyte?" He takes a long suck from his cigarette and blows the smoke out, "Why didn' ya say so? I hate that bastard." He claps and rubs his hands together, "Let's see now…" He busted out an awesome bass solo, his fingers flying across the strings.

Eddie looked to Ophelia, "What's happening?"

"Pissin' me off, for one," the Kill Master said without looking up.

As the solo faded out, Lita crossed her arms, "Is she dead..?" I'm not sure whether to say, 'Do you wish for that?', cause that would be kind of cruel to say… Especially in front of Lars and Eddie.

The Kill Master said she wasn't dead, but if something wasn't done soon, she would be. Lars asked if his spiders could make heavier strings, but I knew why that couldn't be…

"My lil darlings here?" He shook his head, and pointed to the statue of the Spider Queen behind him, "No, only the Metal Queen is big 'nough to spin the kin' of strings you need." He paused, a look of concern on his face, "But we don' go into her lair anymore, lest she bite us in 'alf, suck ou' our innards, an' lay her eggs in ou' eye sockets."

A brief pause…

"I'm going." Lars said, getting the usual response from Lita.

"No!" Lita said, stepping into her brother's path, "Then you'll both be dead, and what good is that?"

Lars's eyes tightened in anxiety, "I have to get those strings, Lita."

Lita sighed and put a hand on Lars's shoulder, "No, Lars, you have to let her go…"

Lars's brows arched in doubt, "You'd like that… Wouldn't you?"

Lita's eyes shot wide open, "W-what!"

Eddie tried to break up the fighting, but to no avail. Sibling arguing is like a landmine: You got to tread carefully; otherwise it blows up in your face. Eddie decided to go ahead and get the bass strings and I went along with him. Kat wanted to come along, but I figured it would be better for her to stay and watch over Ophelia, since Lita and Lars are too far up each other's asses to keep a watch. Eddie and I drove over the hills and over to the Spider's Lair, nestled among the ruins of what seemed to be an ancient village.

"I guess this would be where the Kill Master and his people lived… Well, until the Spider Queen became a total bitch and kicked them out." I said. It made sense, this was right next to the Spider Queen's Lair, they used the Metal Spider's strings. I told Eddie to grab the Tab Slab and the Bound Serpents as I surveyed the landscape and 'protected' the car… The Fangs were still sleeping, so right now I was useless.

As we went to the entrance, a lone Thunderhogger was standing there next to a small pile of string, probably from the little baby spiders. The whole scene happened where Eddie is talking about going into the lair, then asking if anybody wanted to stop him… I sighed and pushed him into the lair, "We'll be right back with those strings, don't worry."

The Thunderhogger merely nodded, "Yup." Wow, so social.

As we entered the Lair of the Metal Queen, the fog set in and our view of anything beyond a few feet disappeared as quickly as a fat guy's interest in exercise. We saw a few of the little spiders crawling around, but they didn't want to get in our way – a good thing too, since Eddie was on a mission. However, _I_ knew that we would fight a few spiders later… And one hell of a mother at the end.

We slowly entered the crevice, and this part **always** bugged the hell out of me. All those mini-spiders that drop from the big bags above… Ugggh, I hate it… However, this was the only way to the Spider Queen, so down the rabbit-spider hole we go. I let Eddie handle most of the fighting, although I did get a lucky punch on a metal spider… Strangely enough, my hand didn't break in half.

Actually, now that I think about it, back home, I wouldn't have been able to keep balance at a hundred feet, or run for a couple miles – or a mile for that matter – or punch a steel monster without feeling pain. Maybe since I'm now in this world, my physical abilities are enhanced? That would make sense… However, I can't help but think that there's more to it than that, like a nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

Something is wrong… Wrong with this situation… Wrong with me…

However, I shove those thoughts back into the depths of my mind as I focus on the fights at hand. I'd worry about it later, but right now, we need to save Ophelia!

"_That's what I'm talking about, dumbass!"_

"_Finally, some chivalry. I thought it was all but dead and gone."_

"_He's quite the man, isn't he? So strong-willed and wise!"_

Hey! You guys are awake now!

"_Actually, we've been awake since you went into the Spider's Lair."_

Why the hell didn't you say something sooner? I could've used your help here!

"_We wanted to see how well you would fare without us. We were sure you would stay behind because you felt inferior without our help, but instead, you went __**willingly**_ _into this monstrosity… For that, you earn the right to use us as you see fit."_

Alright then, let's go cause some trouble for those eight-legged freaks! I drew Blitz and Regen, since they were long range. I'd leave the close-range to Eddie, since he's a _bit_ more buff than me, haha. As we tore through more of the enemies, we took a small breather seeing as how the boss would be after this.

"Man, you've gotten really good at using those things." Eddie said, looking at the Fangs, "And I see you got a new one, too."

"Oh yeah, this is Regen, she's the older sister of the other two. I stole her away from Lionwhyte when…" I dropped my head, "Ah, when we freed the girls."

Eddie grimaced, "So, you were there when…"

I shook my head, "No, I wasn't there. I needed to grab the sword, so Ophelia and I split up. I would try and cause a distraction, but… I guess I didn't do a good enough job…" I say that, but to be honest, it was supposed to be like this. This is how Eddie recruits the Thunderhogs, and like I said before, no healer, no chance of winning.

We looked up and saw the sun was overhead, "We need to hurry," Eddie said, "Ophelia needs these strings." I nodded and we made our way down to the boss's lair.

As we got to the deepest part of the lair, we looked around for the bass strings, finding them hanging from the web to the left of us. We made our way over, until we heard a low whirring and grinding sound come from above us. We turned to see a giant metal spider – obviously the Queen – crawling down and growling at us.

"Whoa… Okay. I _would_ ask nicely for some of your giant bass strings… But you don't strike me as the negotiating type, so out of personal respect, I'll just get right to the ass-kicking." The Metal Queen's fangs flittered as she roared at us, making it known that she would eat us whole if we let our guard down for even a second.

I slipped Regen into the sheath and pulled Donner out, thinking since there is nothing to really grab onto, I might as well have a strong melee advantage. As the Metal Queen roared at us, from her giant bass-string web sprang a group of Metal Spiders, skittering across the ground as they surrounded us.

"Eddie," I said, casually walking up to take the front lines, "I'll handle the small fries, you take care of that Queen." I flourish Donner and Blitz, breathing heavily and feeling astoundingly confident. Maybe it was just the fact I had the Fangs back, but I felt like I could fight… Like I could _win_.

"Okay, just be careful," Eddie said, taking out his axe and dashing his way past the Metal Spiders while I charge in and strike one of them head on. I began tearing my way through them, for every one that I took down, two would take its place, and then I would take three down. I was beginning to feel every movement as though I wasn't really forcing it; the whole fight, every strike was fluid and precise, as though I had been fighting my whole life.

One spider would leap for my neck and I simply side-stepped and slashed it with Donner. Another would try climbing onto a ledge and jumping on top of me, and a second later, a hole was in its head, crackling with electricity. This fight had started like any normal fight, but quickly escalated into a massacre… I was killing them left and right, not even paying attention to Eddie's situation. At that moment, nothing mattered more than striking down any and all enemies… It felt like I wasn't even myself anymore… I had started looking at myself, as though I left my body, simply a spectator to the fight.

As the battle went on, I didn't feel fear, nor anxiety… I wasn't even calm, I was… _Excited_.

Excited for what though? The battle? I hate fighting… But this overwhelming sense of power, wielding the Fangs… It was boiling my blood and tickling my mind. As I realized the battle with the little spiders was over, my heart returned to its normal beat, my hands became unclenched, and my breathing went back to normal. I collapsed onto the ground amidst a graveyard of metal bodies… There were so many, I wondered if I maybe killed _all_ of them… I sure hope I didn't, otherwise we wouldn't have any more healing strings.

A loud ruckus awakened my mind to the ongoing battle between Eddie and the Metal Queen. It seemed that she was close to being defeated, so I decided to help him out by acting as a distraction, firing a couple of Staccato shots to get her attention. As Eddie took it down one last time with his guitar and a couple strokes from his axe, the Metal Queen collapsed onto the ground in a mighty heap.

"That took way too long," Eddie said, putting away his axe, "If we're gonna get those strings back to Ophelia, we're gonna have to **book**!" And once I saw the gleam in his eye, I knew what he was thinking: METAL CHOPPER.

He and I gathered up the supplies and we made that badboy chopper in no time. After putting the last few pieces of it together, we got the strings and loaded them onto the chopper's back end. I hopped onto the back with the strings and held it down as Eddie made the engine come to life, "Well, it ain't pretty, but let's hope it's fast.

"Enough banter, let's GO!" I yelled. I wanted to get to Ophelia as quickly as possible… But I also didn't want to stay here another minute, staring out among the bodies of those slain spiders. Somehow, I felt as though I wasn't myself in that battle, as though I _changed_ into some mindless killing machine… Just standing here was making me sick.

As Eddie revved the engine and took off, I lurched backward and almost fell off the back of the chopper. We stormed through the Valley of the Metal Queen and back into the sunshine of the Kill Master's Mountain, where I kissed the ground in praise… Well, I _would've_, except we were hauling ass at about ninety miles per hour. Thankfully, we made it back up the mountain with quite a bit of time to spare.

We power-slid to a halt as we hopped off the chopper, grabbing the bass strings and carrying them inside the cavern. I yelled to the Kill Master, "We're back! We got the strings and defeated the Metal Queen… And quite a few of her babies…"

Kat rushed up and hugged me, which caused me to throw my hands up in surprise and blush madly, "Yay! The Inheritor is back!" I looked to everyone: Lars looked amused, Eddie too, Lita on the other hand… A bit _less_ than amused and bit more like pissed.

The Kill Master had placed the strings in his guitar, "Ah nice! Thick as a baby's arm…" He proceeded to bust out an awesome solo as we gathered around the Central Amp Altar. Before our very eyes, Ophelia's wounds began to close up, her bruises disappearing, as though time itself was being rewound. We watched in suspense as Ophelia's eyes fluttered open, smiling up at Lars.

"Lars," She said, "I can always count on you, can't I?"

I wanted to run over there and drop-kick Lars, because he didn't deserve ANY credit in ANY of this. Hell, if he would've just manned up and helped her with the girls, she wouldn't even BE in this mess… And Eddie… I looked over to Eddie to see him with a wimpy smile – he was happy Ophelia was alive, but not so happy that she thanked Lars. I mean, all Lars did was bitch and whine about how Lita was up on his case about his obsession with Ophelia.

Eddie looked to the Kill Master, "Ya'know, we could really use you guys in our band- I mean army."

Kill Master took a huff of his cigarette and blew out a smoke ring, "Well, I ain' much of a joina, but I'll do anythin' that'll piss off Lionwhy'e." Okay, so mission accomplished: We recruited the Thunderhogs… All that's left is the Razor Girls, then we got our first army battle, "Brin' yer wounded up 'ere an' I'll heal'em all."

"Great," Eddie said, waving to the Kill Master, "Come visit us in Bladehenge sometime, we got some new T-shirts coming in, I'll totally hook you up."

We were just about to leave when I felt a tug on my arm, spinning around to see Kat with a cautious look in her eye. She yelled to the others, "Um, we'll be with you in a little while. I think Johnny, uh, hurt himself while fighting the spiders!"

The group looked at each other and nodded or shrugged as they left. I turned to her, "Um, what's going on..?"

Kat took my eyes with anxious looks, "There's something you should know…"

My heart skipped a beat.

Kat let go and moved over to the Central Altar Amp, "Kill Master, how long has this been here?"

The Kill Master sat there with his legs propped up on the bass base, smoking another cigarette, "Oh, tha' thing? I's been here since we go' here, and pro'lly 'fore tha'. Why ya ask?" Yeah, I was kind of curious, too…

"_Hmm? Do you feel that?"_

"_Yeah, it's faint, but he's definitely here…"_

"_Damn, who'da thunk __**he'd**__ be here of all places..?"_

Huh? You know what's going on here? And why have you been silent all this time!

"_Huh? You seemed to be busy, so we thought we'd leave it alone…"_

Thanks a lot, "Huh? What's going on exactly?" Kat motioned for me to come over to the side of the Central Altar Amp, pointing to a small indentation on the side. To my disbelief, there was the eight-point star I saw when I found Donner and Blitz! Then it wasn't just coincidence then… This is a signal to the Eight Fangs! This must be another Fang!

"_Wrong, dumbass."_

Huh? What do you mean?

"_This isn't the home of a Fang… However, it is a crucial artifact from back then. It is a monster that became so greedy for power he tried fusing himself with the remains of Ormagoden. However, he was driven mad by the power and went on a rampage, and was finally sealed away by him."_

Him? Who's 'him'?

"_Unfortunately, we cannot tell you… Not yet. However, we will in time."_

The hell kind of answer is that!

"Inheritor." I turned to see Kat pushing on the indent. The cavern trembled as the indent fell back into the altar and the side drop down to form stairs going underneath the altar.

The Kill Master rose up from his seat and flipped up his sunglasses, "Well, tha' ain't somethin' ya see e'ry day." He then flipped his sunglasses back and resumed his smoking position.

Kat patted me on the back, "Quickly, we must go down there and confront the monster. This is crucial for you, as the Inheritor." She pushed me down underneath the altar and the slab began to rise back up, closing me off from her, "You must tame the beast if you wish to become the King." With that, the slab closed off the last bit of light, and I was in darkness…

**Author's Corner! Okay, first off, sorry I took so long with this, I had told some people that it would be out by the end of February… And it's now the beginning of April… I was REALLY off with that. Again, I'm sorry. I had some stuff causing trouble: college, girls and other personal writings. Anywho, I'll try and update more often, but there's no guarantee that I'll update as fast as I have been.**

**I really hope this came out well, considering I had to cut it a bit short. I was gonna go to the next boss, but I figure, "Hey, might as well not make you suffer much longer." XD Anywho, read, review, and – just for the hell of it – read again! :D Alright, thanks a bunch you guys for reading this, cause this is probably one of my GREATEST fan-fics ever, and the game deserves more praise!**


End file.
